Rewind: The Week In Movies, May 2nd-May7th

By
Gabe Toro
|
The PlaylistMay 7, 2011 at 4:05AM

Big news in the movie world this week. We got big advancement on new projects from Wes Anderson, Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino, and while the rest of the world was undergoing major change, Hollywood was working to greenlight a movie about it.

Big news in the movie world this week. We got big advancement on new projects from Wes Anderson, Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino, and while the rest of the world was undergoing major change, Hollywood was working to greenlight a movie about it.

- In REAL news, the world breathed a sigh of relief as Osama Bin Laden drew his last breath. In the movie world, that meant movement on “Kill Bin Laden,” the Kathryn Bigelow-directed actioner to take an intimate look at the chase for the world’s most dangerous man. Screenwriter Mark Boal is rewriting the script to include the siege on Bin Laden’s whereabouts in his final hours, while Joel Edgerton was said to be in line for the lead role. Justice may move slowly, but Hollywood doesn’t miss a beat. Unless you’re The Rock, in which case slow justice is no justice.

- Saoirse Ronan is eying a lead role in “The Host,” an adaptation of a popular novel by Stephanie Meyer, otherwise known as the virus that spat out “Twilight.” The story concerns a romance between a parasite soul and a woman trying to find the last remaining group of humans in a desolate future. What will their parents think? Andrew Niccol was attached to the project awhile ago, and he may be returning to the director’s chair. The most intriguing bit about this film? Ronan may be playing both lovers. The film is out to prospective financiers in Cannes, eager to fund a film where a teenage girl has sex with herself.

- There was much rejoicing as the cast and shooting schedule was cemented for “Moonrise Kingdom,” the latest from director Wes Anderson. Focus Features is handling distribution of the film, which will feature Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzmann and will center on a romance between two youngsters in 1960’s Rhode Island.

- In Brightest Day, In Darkest Night, Bla Bla Bla, There Will Be A New “Green Lantern” Trailer! Taking it’s cues from the recently-leaked WonderCon footage, “Green Lantern” showcased a new preview that illustrated the cosmic reach of the film’s story and the rather dynamite special effects. Sure looks busy.

- Steven Spielberg dipped into the actor free agent pool and made like the Miami Heat, fortifying the “Lincoln” cast with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones, John Hawkes, Hal Holbrook, James Spader, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill and Joseph Cross. Only the roles for Jones and Gordon-Levitt, the former as Thaddeus Stevens, the latter Robert Lincoln. Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field play Abe Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln in the film, based on the book “Team Of Rivals.”

- Rachel Weisz is climbing aboard “Oz The Great And Powerful,” a retelling of the Oz legend that will find Weisz starring as the eventual Wicked Witch (… or is she?). She joins James Franco and Mila Kunis on the Sam Raimi-directed tent pole, only one of various fairy-tale related efforts greenlit by studios in the past year, possibly due to the success of “Alice In Wonderland.” Goodie.

-Did you see our summer movie preview, of what to watch and what to skip? Don’t be a jerk, click here for part one, and here for part two. Yay “Super 8.” Boo “Smurfs.” And don’t miss our guide to reliable summer alternatives. And while we’re discussing Playlist-exclusive features, don’t miss our Hal Ashby retrospective.

- We raised a minor kerfuffle amongst readers when we asked why, exactly, is Take That going to be featured in the closing credits for “X-Men: First Class.” It’s not totally unprecedented: Matthew Vaughn’s previous “Stardust” also closed with a song from the pop group. The original song “Love Love” debuts with “X-Men: First Class” on June 3rd.

- The summer movie season started with a bang, “Fast Five” pulling in $83 million (later, $86 million apparently). This more than doubled the previous biggest earner of the year, “Rio” finishing a tad under $40 million. “Fast Five” takes us into the busy summer movie season, with a number of films looking to hit that sweet spot with audiences and rescue a historically bad year at the box office. Oh, and the movie wasn’t that great, either. “Critics” liked it, though.

- Tarantino is back. “Django Unchained” was revealed to be the latest from the cinema titan, a spaghetti western about a freed slave who trains to be a bounty hunter. Tarantino claims the script is just finished, with no shooting plans in place yet, but that hasn’t stopped people from speculating everyone from Christoph Waltz to Keith Carradine would be featured. Not to worry: all Tarantino needs to do is read The Playlist, because we’ve read the script and offered our casting choices, free of charge! Though we may have spoke too soon, if Will Smith’s rumored involvement comes to fruition.